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| Posted by | Seán Byrne |
| Posted on | 23/06/05 21:05 |
| Review: Lite-On LVW-5045 HDD+DVD Recorder |
What makes this DVD Recorder so special is that it is the world's first DVD Recorder that can write to DVD+R/RW, DVD-R/RW and even Video CD-R/RW. This means that there is no more of a worry about being locked to 'plus' or 'minus' media or even just DVD media. When it comes to recording on its Internal hard drive, one can finally forget the days of finding a blank tape, seeking for a blank spot on a tape with content or even accidentally overwriting a precious recording! Recording is as simple as selecting the channel, selecting 'HDD' mode and pressing 'Record'. éŸ
Some Lite-On history:
In 1995 Lite-On gathered some elite scientist and engineers from ITRI (Industrial Technology Research Institute) to start an optical storage research and manufacturing business in Taiwan. Currently they have over 130 engineers with Master & Ph. D. degrees in their Research & Development team, that are dedicated to the development of their patented anti-vibration mechanical design, advanced circuit design, firmware programming & performance tuning. The Research & Development team achievement is a key factor that has ensured their success in product development.
In 1997, Lite-On established a large manufacturing facility in China enabling them to provide optimum OEM/ODM support to all 1st-Tier PC makers, which further demonstrated their success in the worldwide Optical drive market. Today, they are among top-3 optical drive manufacturer worldwide, mostly due to attractive pricing and quality filled products, along with large OEM contracts. They have also received top brand name recognition in many regions. These achievements, plus superb management visions and planning, enabled them to continue their growth and profit even at times when the optical drive market experienced "price-wars" and many optical drive manufacturers were 
forced out.
In 1999, they created LITE-ON Information Technology Corporation, another proud member of the Lite-On Group, to concentrate on developing and manufacturing optical drives to stay strong in the storage business. They are going to carry on the tradition of developing optical drives to expand their research and manufacturing capacity to new generations of products such as DVD drives, High speed CD-RW drives and COMBO drives to stay strong in both the retail and OEM/ODM market.
At 9th July 2001 Lite-On IT signed a co-operation contract with JVC, a famous Japanese electrical company, to be in alliance with each other. Two new companies was established, one is the optical drives manufacturing sales company, named as JVC LITE-ON IT Manufacturing & Sales, Limited (JLMS) , the other is pick-up head developing & manufacturing company.
JVC is a pioneer in development of key components of optical drives and consumer electronics as well, Lite-On IT is excellent in volume manufacturing and developing, also skilled in IT industry. That kind of strategic alliance would benefit both companies.
If you have read our previous Lite-On reviews you may already be familiar with this company information, so let us now take a look at the specifications of this drive:
Drive specifications:
These are the specifications of this drive, found at the Lite-On webpage:
| Supporting media types | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Recordable media | Hard Disk Drive (Built-in 160GB) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| DVD+R / DVD+RW | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| DVD-R / DVD-RW | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| CD-R / CD-RW | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Video recording format | MPEG2 : DVD+VR (HQ / SP / LP / EP mode), VCD | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| MPEG1 : DVD+VR (SLP mode) , VCD | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Audio recording format | MPEG2 (Dobly Digital 2 channel) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| MPEG1 (Dobly Digital or MPEG2 Layer 3) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| CD-DA (44.1KHz) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Recording time | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Tuner | TV format | NTSC-M, PAL-B/G, PAL-D/K, PAL-I/I, or SECAM-L/L | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| TV sound | Main (Stereo/Mono) SAP | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Recording functions | One touch record (OTR) (30 minutes interval) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Automatically/Manually insert chapter | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Title editing (Rename, Erase, Protect, Overwrite, Split, Merge) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Chapter editing (Insert, Remove, Hide, Show) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Channel editing (Move up/down, Insert, Swap, Decoder on/off) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Set Thumbnail | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Easy Guider 2 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Time Shift | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| High speed copy from HDD to DVD | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| DV control | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Timer Recording functions | Number of programs | 16 programs | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Record control | VPS / PDC | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Timer programming | Manual or SHOWVIEW | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| DVD/CD Playback | Fast forward/Reverse (2x, 4x, 8x, 16x) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Slow motion (1/2x, 1/4x, -1/2x, -1/4x) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Zoom (1x, 2x, 4x) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Step forward | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Next / Previous (Title / Chapter / Track) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| A-B repeat | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Repeat | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Time search | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| VOB/MPG/DAT Playback | Fast forward/Reverse (2x, 4x, 8x, 16x) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Slow motion (1/2x, 1/4x, -1/2x, -1/4x) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| MP3 / WMA Playback | Time display | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Album and track selection | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| JPEG / BMP Playback | Slide show | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Rotate | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Album and picture selection | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Front connections | Video input | Cinch (yellow) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Audio L/R input | Cinch (white / red) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| DV input | IEEE-1394 4-pin | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Rear connections | Video output | Cinch (yellow) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Audio L/R output | Cinch (white / red) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Component video output | Cinch (green / blue / red) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Progressive scan output | 576p output | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| SCART out | CVBS / S-Video / RBG out | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| SCART in | CVBS / RGB in, Decoder | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Digital audio output | Coaxial | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Optical | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| General | Power Supply | AC 220~240V 50Hz | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Power Consumption | Operation: Approx. 50W | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Operating Temperature | +5°C to +40°C (+36°F to +104°F) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Operating Humidity | 5% to 80% RH | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Dimensions (W / H / D): | 430 x 66 x 316 mm | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Net Weight: | Approx. 4.5kg | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Notes | The specifications and design of this product are subject to change without notice. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
What's inside the box?
Let us first start by taking a look at the retail packaging as well as what the drive ships with.
The following images show the retail box this drive shipped in.
Front - The drive we received came in a cardboard box, similar to the boxes most VCRs come in. This is the top of the box.
Front & Rear sides.
Left Side
Right Side
The contents of the package are as follows
The retail bundle consists of
- HDD + DVD Recorder
- RF Aerial Male to Female Coaxial lead
- SCART Male to Male Lead
- 3 x Male Phono to Male Phono Lead
- Power Lead
- Remote Control inc. Batteries
- Blank unbranded DVD+RW
- User's Manual
- Recommended Disc List Sheet
- Quick Start Guide
This bundle seems to have everything one could want to get started, including a blank DVD+RW! Note that the included leads will vary depending on where this drive is purchased from. For example, TVs in the US do not have a SCART connector, so chances are that this drive will be bundled with an SVHS lead for the US market. Phono leads are also known as RCA leads in the US.
Now, let us take a look at the Recorder itself:
At a first glance from a distance, the drive looks similar to a DVD player, however upon looking close up, there are a couple of things that clearly indicate it has much more to offer besides playing DVDs:
The logos shown above consist of
- HDD - Hard Disc Drive
- DVD - Video
- Compact disc - Digital Video
- Compact disc - Rewritable
- DOLBY DIGITAL
- WMA (Microsoft's proprietary audio codec)
- DoMiNo - Visibly Superior (More about this on the next page)
The following image shows the controls on the Recorder as well as the inputs on the front of the drive:
Like most VCRs, this drive comes with a few basic controls on the Recorder itself: Eject, Play, Stop, HDD / DVD selection, Record and Video Source. While the Record button may come in handy if someone is in a hurry to start recording (but not enough time to locate their remote), it does lack the channel navigation buttons, which means the user would still need to grab / find the remote if they need to record off another channel first.
The small left rectangular input is a DV Link for hooking up a DV compatible camcorder and the three connections to the right are phono inputs for composite video and stereo audio.
The right of the display shows Lite-On's 'All write' logo along with the model number. A blue LED lights to the left to indicate whether the Recorder is in 'DVD' or 'HDD' mode.
Now let us take a look at the rear of the drive:
Again, at a first glance, this looks similar to most other DVD players, although most do not have a fan or RF aerial connections. The following image shows a close up of these connections and which each is for:
The rear of the Recorder has the following connections:
- Tuner
- RF Out - RF Coaxial out to the TV
- RF In - RF Coaxial in from an Aerial or Cable TV
- Digital Out
- Optical - Digital out for an amplifier that has an optical in
- Coaxial - Digital out for an amplifier that has a coaxial in
- SCART (May only be available in certain regions)
- SCART IN - Audio & Video input from the output of other equipment such as a VCR or satellite receiver or to connect up a decoder.
- SCART OUT - Audio & Video out to TV (supports RGB, composite and SVHS out).
- AV Output
- Video Out - Composite video out for legacy equipment that does not have a SCART or SVHS input, yet has a composite video input.
- Audio Out - Stereo audio out for connecting up to a stereo, Dolby surround sound amplifier or to supply the audio when used in conjunction with the Composite or Component video outputs.
- Component Out
- 3 x Phono component video output for higher quality video on displays that have component input.
As with any other set top box, probably the most important gadget to operate the unit is the remote:
The following image shows a close-up of the top section:
The main channel selection buttons are in this section, along with the power and Eject buttons. We'll discuss about the Setup and Display buttons later.
The following image shows a close-up of the lower section:
The Guider & Browser buttons at the top allow for quick navigation through content on either the hard drive or on disc. The navigation controls and options in the middle work in the same way as with other DVD players, although in this case the navigation can also be used to navigate through the menus. Finally the two rows of buttons at the bottom mostly consist of shortcuts. We've seen 'SHOWVIEW' in the place of 'Video Plus+' on another LVW-5045 remote; however it performs the same operation. We'll discuss more about these later.
The record button to the bottom right works just like on a VCR. As there is no issue with having to fast forward to a blank spot on this Recorder (unlike a VCR), there is no safety measure to worry about either, such as having to press record twice or along with another key. Those days of accidentally overwriting a tape are gone!
Finally for those of you who are interested in the printed information plate and the various other labels that can be found on the rear of the drive, these are shown in the following images:
Drive information plate
Dolby and patent use info
Laser and 'Do Not Open' hazard warnings
Serial # and date of manufacture
Conclusion
Same for the OEM-Version, Philips 520H
To me, the audio sounds fine directly from the Lite-On itself and I didn't notice any unusual background hiss, unlike what most PC onboard soundcards pick up. I tried recording from various sources including CDs, over SCART, TV, etc. However, as the audio output (over Phono and SCART) is fairly high, it can cause distortion on audio equipment that has very sensitive inputs. For example on my PC's sound card, I had to set the Line-in level fairly close to the bottom to avoid the input meter from peaking.
I did also check for other issues that people mentioned in user reviews back in January such as audio-video sync problems after an hour of recording, remote keys acting if pressed twice, etc. However I haven't encountered any issue with the remote and after a 2.5 hour recording, the audio & video was still in perfect sync that I could see, i.e. 'B' & 'P' sounds matched the person's lips.
And it´s the best magazine for video-equipment and can not be compared with magazine´s like Audio-Video-Bild usw.
And I read in many forum´s that almost nobody can say that Liteon DVD-Recorders have a good picture-quality
I have seen Microsoft often use image and audio analysis to show that their codecs beats other audio and visual codecs and for a good while I often seen people boasting about how good Windows Media sounds & looks until later when visual & listening tests have changed this around.
Contacted Liteon & ended up taking 5 days off work, each time I was waiting in for the unit to be collected. Eventually, Liteon agreed to send an upgraded unit - 5045B and uplift the old one at the same time.
4 months later, this new machine suffered the same fate. I had originally put a couple of films onto DVD so I knew this feature worked.
Contacted Liteon, this time I lost 2 day's pay waiting for collection & then delivery of the repaired item.
2 months later, I have the self same problem - the machine simply doesn't recognise any DVD-r/rw, +r/rw, or even blank CDs.
When it works, this machine is the business, when it breaks down, it's a real PITA getting it fixed.
Rather than waste any more money taking time off work, I'm going to spend a day's wages & buy a standalone DVD recorder & link to this machine. It will pay for itself straight away because I won't need to take a second day off work.
And BTW, I tried to upgrade the firmware but the machine won't recognise any disk that is or was blank, so I have a CD full of firmware upgrades now destined for the bin.
Serial Number 002535611284
LVW 5045 HARD DRIVE FAILURE **PLEASE HELP**
I bought mine in sept 2005 and except for menu bounce its worked satifactorly untill the other day when I tried to play a disc it read 'Invalid'. I have it set at 'Region Free' and the disc's I want ed to play were 'Region 4'. Oddly it played Regions 1 & 2 without difficulty. Even after resetting to Region 4 it still didnt want to work.
On VideoHelp site, some members reported replacing the DVD drive which in some cases worked.
The label on the case says Lite-On IT' a DDW-813S but the mother board is by Sony with no discernable other details.
As far as I am aware the HDD is still working ok.
No one tried the swap option??
This message was edited at: 25-06-2008 15:01
The bad news is that there is NO after warranty expires service available for any Lite-On product.
I was advised that during warranty the item is replaced not repaired due to cost but do they replace the whole item or cannabalise another so you get your original unit back?
So depending on its price, you would have to seriously consider paying for an extended warranty or be prepared to replace the unit if it fails one day after the warranty runs out.
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